Rabbi Yisrael Rosen, president of the Tzomet public research institute for merging Judaism with modern life, passed away overnight Wednesday.
Rabbi Rosen, a resident of Alon Shvut and one of the most important rabbis of religious Zionism, was hospitalized in recent months due to a serious medical condition.
He established the Tzomet institute, which for many years has been involved in halakhic-technical solutions in the public and private spheres in Israel and the entire Jewish world. Among his many innovations, always strictly based on halakha, he dealt with technological applications for use in life threatening situations in the army and in medical situations.
He also wrote on Arutz Sheva's website, in the Shabbat leaflet Shabat BeShabato and wrote many books and publications.
In August, Rabbi Rosen, who was a member of the presidium of the Jewish Home party, announced his resignation from the party due to the fact that party chairman Naftali Bennett had employed a lesbian spokeswoman.
"It's not surprising that they leave a same-sex-attraction as spokesperson. I do not have anything against her or against them, but I think that treating them as a community is unacceptably defiant and the manifestation of pride is incompatible with a party that pretends to represent religious Zionism," he said at the time.
Rabbi Rosen is survived by his wife, Shlomit, five children and grandchildren.
His funeral is scheduled to take place today at 14:00, at the Gush Etzion cemetery near Kfar Etzion.